Beginning to amass a stash of pu’er teas and aren’t sure how to store them? Here are some helpful suggestions.
-a cardboard box is great for storage as long as it has not stored anything scented prior to tea storage. Clay jars work well for loose ripe tea and mao cha.
-keep your cache away from scented things/spice cupboards/incense as the tea cake will absorb aromas over time..
-keep away from drafts, heating and air-conditioning ducts as these things will cause a drying of the leaf and/or cause abrupt fluctuations in the humidity of the cake or brick.
-damp basements/mildew smells will also greatly affect tea flavor and aroma so we advise against that for storage. You don’t want tea that smells like a basement. Remember that over time, a tea’s flavor and aroma will reflect where it has been stored.
If one wants to go wild, like we do with an entire storage room for pu’er, you can have it at around 50 to 60% humidity and 70-80ºF for storage. Too much humidity and no air flow will lead to mold so one needs to be careful when trying to store for long periods and the storage room conditions needs to be monitored daily, adding humidity/dehumidification and air flow when warranted.
If you’re only buying a cake or two at a time and using it over the course of a month or two, you don’t have to worry, your tea will be just fine. It’s the longer term storage/aging of larger collections where folks need to pay more attention to this topic.
Fire away with any questions you may have about storage in the comments section or reach out to us directly.
Mandala Tea pu’er storage